Container carrier

ABSTRACT

A carrier for one or more substantially cylindrical containers having a peripheral enlargement comprises strip-form means composed of transversely rigid material disposed in circular arrangements corresponding in diameter to a circumference of the container and about axes extending transversely of the strip. The strip-form means have apertured overlapping portions receiving fastening means for retaining the strip form means in the circular relationship, and handle portions are attached to the strips, thereby providing a convenient container handle capable of supporting substantial axial loads and enabling adjoining several containers into a unitary package.

United States Patent [191 Oltmanns 51 Jan. 9, 1973 54 CONTAINER CARRIER 3,482,867 12/1969 Allen ..294/31.2 x

F. 2 28 [76] Inventor gzz g ggxgz Primary ExaminerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-W. Scott Carson [22] Filed: Jan. 6, 1971 Attorney-Carlton Hill et al.

[21] Appl. No.: 104,506

Related U.S. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 859,353, Sept. 19, 1969, abandoned.

U.S. Cl ..294/31.2, 206/65 C, 224/45 P, 229/52 A, 294/87.2

Int. Cl. ..B65d 71/00 Field of Search ..215/100 A; 294/28, 29, 31.2, 294/87.2; 206/65 C; 224/45 P; 229/52 A References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wood ..294/3l.2 X

[57] ABSTRACT A carrier for one or more substantially cylindrical containers having a peripheral enlargement comprises strip-form means composed of transversely rigid material disposed in circular arrangements corresponding in diameter to a circumference of the container and about axes extending transversely of the strip. The strip-form means have apertured overlapping portions receiving fastening means for retaining the strip form means in the circular relationship, and handle portions are attached to the strips, thereby providing a convenient container handle capable of supporting substantial axial loads and enabling adjoining several containers into a unitary package.

2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PAIENTEum 9191a 3.709.545

sum 2 OF 2 I I N VENTOR.

CONTAINER CARRIER CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 859,353, filed Sept. 19, 1969, now abandoned and titled CONTAINER CARRIER.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a container or article carrier, and more particularly refers to a separate carrier attachable to cylindrical containers having peripheral enlargements and being capable of supporting substantial axial loads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a carrier handle for cylindrical containers having peripheral enlargements or lip portions, for example coffee cans, paint cans, and similar containers. The carrier of the present invention may be attached to the container subsequent to exhausting a product contained therein for converting the empty containers into convenient portable carriers for tools, miscellaneous items and the like. Further, a properly sized container carrier may be conveniently attached to a small paint can, for example one quart sized cans which normally do not include a handle, thereby enabling convenient transport of the can and facilitating use of the contents.

Briefly, the container carrier comprises strip-form means composed of a flexible material having a substantial transverse rigidity and disposed in one or more circumferential or circular arrangements. Apertured, overlapped portions of the strip receive rivet-like fastening means for retaining the strips about a container in abutting engagement with a peripheral lip or enlargement formed thereon. A handle portion is attached to the circularly arranged strips to provide a convenient means for transporting the container.

In a single unit container, the strip form means comprise a pair of substantially equal lengthed strips having apertures for receiving the fastening means formed in opposite end portions and spaced apart a distance equal to one half of an outer circumferential length of a container to be carried. The handle portion includes a strip having a length equal to one of the pair of strips and characterized by a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures for receiving the fastening means. Since all three strips have substantially equal lengths and equally spaced apertures formed in opposite end portions thereof, the container carrier may be conveniently folded by pivoting the strips about the fastening means, thereby to provide a substantially compact configuration for facilitating storage or attachment of the folded carrier, by means of taping or the like, onto a container when the same is initially sold.

A multiple container unit is formed by joining a plurality of circularly arranged pairs of equal lengthed strips at tangential juncture planes by a fastener common to adjacent ones of the pairs of strips. Various handle portions for the multiple container unit may be provided including a strip-form member disposed in a loop and having opposite, apertured, overlapped end portions disposed intermediate adjacent ones of the pairs of strips and attached thereto by the common fastener. Also, a sheet-form handle portion having a substantially rectangular cut-out for receiving a web portion defined by overlapped end portions of adjacent ones of the pairs of strip-form members may provide the handle.

Another embodiment of the present invention contemplates providing a two-container carrier comprising an elongated strip having a length slightly exceeding two circumferences of containers to be carried and characterized by apertures formed in opposite end portions and midway therebetween for receiving the fastening means. A handle for the two-can carrier includes an integrally formed planar offset portion having an opening providing a grip.

By combining two and three-unit carriers in various permutations, several multi-unit arrangements may be formed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a single-unit container carrier embodying the features of the present invention and illustrated as attached to a typical container shown by phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a strip-form blank for the container carrier illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a fastening means utilized in the container carrier shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view illustrating a two-container carrier constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a handle portion embodying the features of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view illustrating attachment of the handle shown in FIG. 5 to a multi-unit container carrier;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a strip-form blank utilized for forming a two-container carrier constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a container carrier formed from the blank illustrated in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, a container carrier 10, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, is shown as attached to a cylindrical container 11 having a peripheral enlargement, lip or bead 12. The container 11 may contain a packaged product, such as coffee, paint, etc, where the packager or retailer desires to provide a conveniently attachable handle portion for facilitating transport and use of the product, or the container may be an empty can, wherein the handle portion converts an otherwise useless empty can into a convenient carrier for tools, miscellaneous items and the like.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, inclusive, a single unit carrier comprises strip-form means fastened into a circular arrangement about an outer circumference of the container 11 and abutting an underneath surface of the peripheral enlargement 12. The strip-form means comprise a pair of substantially equal lengthed strips 13 and 14 composed of a flexible material having a substantial transverse rigidity to prevent buckling thereof when the carrier is subjected to substantial axial loads such as the weight of the container plus a product which may overlapping packaged therein. The strips 13 and 14 form mutually complementary portions of a circular arrangement, and the strip 13 has opposite end portions as at 16, 16 radially outwardly overlapping opposite end portions as at 17 of the strip 14 thereby forming a pair of diametrically opposed overlapped portions.

Apertures as at 18 are formed through the opposite end portions 16 and 17 and longitudinally spaced apart on each of the strips 13 and 14 by a distance substantially equal to one-half of a circumference of a container to be carried, and the spacing between the apertures 18, 18 will, of course, vary according to the circumferential length of a container for which the carrier 10 is provided. Each of the apertures 18 has a substantially key hole configuration characterized by a circular portion 19 and a longitudinally inwardly extending slotted portion 21 for facilitating insertion of fastening means as at 22.

The fastening means 22 comprise a rivet-like member, as illustrated in FIG. 3, characterized by a cylindrical grip portion 23 sized to be snugly received within the circular aperture portion 19, a radially enlarged head portion 24 and a peripherally enlarged retaining portion 26 forming an annular retaining surface 27 spaced from and confronting an annular surface 28 on the enlarged head 24. An uppermost end as at 29 of the peripherally enlarged portion 26 is tapered, thereby to facilitate insertion of the fastener 22 into the key hole apertures 18.

Means forming a handle portion for the carrier 10 comprise a strip-form member 31 having a configuration identical to that of the strips 13 and 14 to reduce the required number of differently configured parts necessary for forming the carrier 10. Thus, the handle strip 31 has longitudinally spaced apertures as at 32 receiving the fasteners 22 and spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between the apertures 18 of the strips 13 and 14. Opposite end portions as at 33 of the handle strip 31 radially outwardly overlap the opposite end portion 16 of the strip 13, thereby to provide a layered arrangement enabling rotationally collapsing the strips 13, 14 and 31 about the fasteners 22 and into an overlying compact relationship to facilitate storage. In the collapsed configuration the carrier 10 may be fastened, by means of taping or the like, onto a container by the product packager for sale with the product.

Although the fastener 22 is shown as a separate item, it should be noted that the fastener may be integrally formed with the innermost strip 14 or the outermost strip 31, thereby to reduce the required number of components.

It is also contemplated by the present invention to provide multi-unit carriers characterized as comprising two or more circularly arranged pairs of the strips 13' and 14. A two-unit carrier, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 6, inclusive, has two juxtapositionally disposed pairs of the circularly arranged strips 13' and 14' situated on opposite sides of a common juncture plane substantially tangent to circles defined by the strips.

Handle means for the two-unit carrier 10' comprise a strip 31' having a configuration substantially identical to that of the strips 13' and 14' and characterized by a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures disposed in opposite end portions thereof. The strip 31 is arranged in an upstanding loop with the opposite end portions 33, 33' overlapped and interposed between the juxtapositionally disposed pairs of the strips 13' and 14 In order to securely fasten the two pairs of the strips 13' and 14' into a unit and to attach the handle strip 31, a central one of the fasteners 22' is received through the aligned apertures formed in the overlapped end portions 16', 17' and 33' disposed parallel to the juncture plane and has an extended medial or grip portion to accommodate the six thicknesses of the overlapping end portions.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an alternative form of handle means, as illus trated in FIGS, 5 and 6, comprise a sheet-form member 36 having a substantially rectangular portion characterized by a hand-width grip aperture 38 and 'a truncated, inverted triangular portion 39 having an attachment aperture 41 formed therethrough. With the handle means 36, the two pairs of circularly arranged strips 13' and 14' are juxtapositionally disposed with one of the radially outwardly overlapped end portions 16' on one of the strips 13 abutting one of the radially outwardly overlapped end portions 16' of the other strip 13' along the juncture plane. Further, the abutting end portions 16', as best illustrated in FIG. 6, extend in circumferentially opposite directions and have end edge surfaces as at 42 extending transversely of the strip and parallel to each other, thereby to provide a pair of parallel, substantially upstanding engagement surfaces.

The attachment aperture 41 formed in the handle means 36 has a substantially rectangular configuration characterized by a pair of parallel sidewalls 43, 43 spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the spacing between thepair of parallel end edge surfaces 42, 42 and a second pair of parallel sidewalls 44, 44 spaced apart a distance slightly exceeding a transverse width of the strips 13' and 14'. In that manner, the sheet form handle means 36 may be interposed between the juxtapositionally disposed pairs of the strips 13 and 14' with the attachment aperture engaging a web portion defined by the abutting pair of end portions 16', 16.

Various combinations and permutations of two and three-unit carriers are possible to form multi-unit carriers.

' A still further embodiment of the present invention contemplates providing a two-unit carrier comprising a longitudinally elongated strip 46 having a length exceeding two circumferential lengths of one container and characterized by apertures as at 47 formed in opposite end portions 48, 48 and in a medial portion 49 for receiving fastening means 22". The series of three apertures 47 are longitudinally spaced apart distances equal to one circumferential length of a container to be carried, thereby permitting the strip to be flexed into a pair of juxtapositionally disposed circular arrangements with the opposite end portions 48 overlapping opposed side surfaces of the medial portion 49. In that manner, only one fastener 22' is required to retain the strip 46 in an assembled relationship, and that fastener may be integrally molded at one end portion of the strip in lieu of one of the apertures 47.

Situated substantially centrally of the strip 46 is a laterally offset sheet-form handle portion 51 having an oblong configuration and a hand-width gripping aperture 52. When assembled, the handle portion 51 is disposed between the pair of circles defined by the strip 46, thereby to provide a balanced carrier.

Although those versed in the art might suggest various minor modifications, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

l. A carrier for cylindrical containers having a peripheral enlargement comprising:

strip-form means composed of material having a substantial transverse rigidity,

said strip-form means having overlapping portions and being disposed in circular arrangements about axes extending transversely of said stripform means and sized to snugly fit around a cylindrical container in abutting engagement with a peripheral enlargement formed thereon;

means forming aligned apertures in said overlapping portions;

fastening means received in said aligned apertures and securely retaining said strip-form means in the circular arrangements about the containers; and

means forming handle portions attached to said stripform means said strip-form means comprising a strip having a length slightly exceeding two circumferential lengths of containers to be carried,

a first aperture formed in said strip midway between opposite ends thereof,

a pair of apertures formed in said strip and disposed at opposite end portions thereof,

each of said pair of apertures spaced longitudinally outwardly of said first aperture a distance substantially equal to an outer circumferential length of one of the containers to be carried, and said strip disposed in a pair of tangentially adjacent, circular arrangements with said opposite end portions overlapping a medial portion of the strip on opposite sides thereof with said pair of apertures aligned with said first aperture for receiving said fastening means.

2. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by:

said means forming said handle portion including an integrally formed, laterally offset flange having a grip-forming cut-out formed therethrough. 

1. A carrier for cylindrical containers having a peripheral enlargement comprising: strip-form means composed of material having a substantial transverse rigidity, said strip-form means having overlapping portions and being disposed in circular arrangements about axes extending transversely of said strip-form means and sized to snugly fit around a cylindrical container in abutting engagement with a peripheral enlargement formed thereon; means forming aligned apertures in said overlapping portions; fastening means received in said aligned apertures and securely retaining said strip-form means in the circular arrangements about the containers; and means forming handle portions attached to said strip-form means said strip-form means comprising a strip having a length slightly exceeding two circumferential lengths of containers to be carried, a first aperture formed in said strip midway between opposite ends thereof, a pair of apertures formed in said strip and disposed at opposite end portions thereof, each of said pair of apertures spaced longitudinally outwardly of said fiRst aperture a distance substantially equal to an outer circumferential length of one of the containers to be carried, and said strip disposed in a pair of tangentially adjacent, circular arrangements with said opposite end portions overlapping a medial portion of the strip on opposite sides thereof with said pair of apertures aligned with said first aperture for receiving said fastening means.
 2. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by: said means forming said handle portion including an integrally formed, laterally offset flange having a grip-forming cut-out formed therethrough. 